More people are redefining their financial dream as a retirement nest egg; fewer as home ownership, new research shows. This trend started with the Great Recession and has not let up.

Half of American adults say that having enough money to retire comfortably is now their top financial goal, up from 47% three years ago, according to the National Endowment for Financial Education. Just 13% name home ownership as their most important goal, down from 17% in 2011.

This trend, ignited by the housing bust and deep stock market slump that began in 2008, shows no signs of reversing. The housing market may have begun to recover. But nearly one in five homeowners still owe more than their homes are worth, and so far the recovery has occurred mainly in just a few large cities.